Back from Indonesia!

Stepped out of the plane at 11pm and managed to catch the last train @ Changi Airport at 11.22pm and the 2nd last train @ Tanah Merah. PTL! :)

(This shows how efficient Singapore's airline management is =P)


You should have seen how I ran, while lugging my luggage... It was a FEAT. :)

But not the glam-est thing to do upon landing. Hahaha.



Trip was awesome!
Lots of FOOOOOD and laughter lol.

Touched by the warm hospitality and generosity of Sofi and her family and Pastor Anton and family (My previous hosts). Everything was so well taken care of... I couldn't ask for more. Thank God for the blessing =') Really appreciate it all and wish I had more to offer... :(




So now I'm back home, and it's New Year's Eve. People have been talking about their resolutions and I haven't even given a thought about 2010 and the things I wanna achieve.

I go to school and it's all _____ planned out right.


I am going to obtain my Grade 6 music theory, Grade 7 piano, get through 2 _____ semesters, some periods of attachment, some performances... Maybe start kicking up my dream somehow.

Sometimes it's depressing being trapped in my tiny world, being so self-absorbed and caught up in my own ambitions.

I believe there's so much more to life than this.


But it's daunting just thinking about 2010.

Had a wonderful night with Cai and Steph @ Orchard! Hahaha. Loving my holidays! :)

Will be flying off later to Medan with Gary and meeting Sofi @ the airport there. We will fatten ourselves up and return with more of ourselves to love! Hahaha.

Wish I could spend Christmas here though... What is Christmas without going to church!!! :(

Then again, there isn't much of a holiday if I spend it in Singapore. Somehow, there's always things I have to do.



Well, till then, may your holiday be filled with loveee and joyyy! Merry Christmas! :)

It's 4.15am.

And I'm up just because. =P

Reading up about music in hospitals... I think about my dream constantly, sometimes the enormity of it brings tears to my eyes. I know it is possible if I want to make it happen.

I just had an idea and I think it's pretty cool. Wiu! Gotta seek some advice first~ And I'm gonna email my orchestra ic right NOW... Lol. Some things I don't procrastinate haha.

I'm so excited to see God's plan slowly unfolding itself!


Hope to see the manifestation of my dream within the next 5 years.

It's all for His glory.
For I am nothing without His grace.

Had a great time @ home today! Just chilling and practising on my instruments. :)

Simple pleasures of life :)


~~~



"If this feeling is not from You, please take it away!
What am I suppose to do with it???"

I've made this prayer before, and the amazing thing was, the very next day, the liking feeling was gone. It happened twice.

But this time, it's been with me for the longest time (I mean it). I can't shake it away though I tried. What more can I do?

Yay done with attachment.
Considering if I should take up sponsorship from NUH...
If so, I'll have $950/month but will be bonded for 2 ____ years.


My life's too unpredictable to do so man... 1 year of bond will be just fine. So maybe I should just wait till my third year to be sponsored IF it's still possible.

By the time I graduate from NUS, I'd have completed my Grade 8 piano (hopefully) and going on to Diploma... That's my plan for now, don't know if I can manage.


~~~


It was an emo Saturday, a leave-me-alone day.

Had 2 performances, 1 @ EXPO and the other @ Jurong West.

We played Handel's "For Unto Us A Child Is Born" with the choir.

I was real happy about the performance @ JW. Honestly, I have never felt so happy about our performances thus far except for today's.

Our conductor gave thumbs-up for the choir after performance on stage and I was beaming with joy seeing him so happy. Wish I could freeze the moment.


After which I went back to being emo.

Expo's was fine but I thought the entire place was too big that we sounded kinda 'empty'.

Anyway, 2 more performances later, a dinner and it's holiday officially. :)

Yipee, attachment will end tmr!!!

It's such a relief to know that.


We need our holidays! The rest of NUS are probably already bored of theirs?




Oh by the way, my tolerance for ill-mannered people is floor low. What's wrong with them? One encounter with such people, will automatically put them on my blacklist. The magic words "Please" and "Thank you" have been taught since we were little kids, that shows how important they are.

Sacarsm, when used for obvious 'harmless' fun, can be real funny. However, when used without the tiniest hint of humour, is just plain annoying. Stop it. Those people will immediately be keyed into my blacklist too and will be avoided at all cost.

For example. An incident today...

Me: Is there any insulin injection to be given later?
Staff nurse: *Silent*
Me: (Did she hear me or not?)
Me: *Repeated the question*
Staff nurse: *glare* I am serving medication now.
Me: (What the hell) Ok fine.


Yes, by right, staff nurses who are serving medications have the right not to be 'disturbed'. But seriously, she could have just ______ answer a monosyllabic 'yes' or a 'no' instead of the 9-syllabic answer which doesn't answer to my question in any way.

Such is the life of a nursing student. Damn.




It doesn't matter if we're their juniors or that they are our seniors, it's a matter of their stupid attitude which needs to be addressed. (But I just can't be bothered with these people) So, I hope to be more vocal next time, if I care enough to.

I mean, there's nothing to be afraid of if your conscience is clear and you're doing so not out of disrepecting them but to genuinely *ahem* want them to better themselves. If they have a pride issue, then that's another story.




Day was otherwise all well. :)
Lots of FOOD and laughter from morn till night! :)
I'm so looking forward to 9pm. FINAL LAP.
No drama please.

Watched a concert @ Esplanade earlier by the Orchestra of the Music Makers and the Western Australia Youth Orchestra in which a friend was performing in. Over there, I saw a few other friends performing in it.

I could only watch from afar...

I mean, without discipline and determination, what's there to talk about right?



Furthermore, all these nursing and school stuff are enough to congest my mind. I went home after work today and didn't even touch my piano. Or even wanted to.

Managed to change my shift from Saturday to Tuesday (today) which is supposed to be my day off. So I'll be on a 6-day nursing marathon. And every day has its own drama and challenges!

Really need God's grace to see me through... I know I'm more than a conqueror in Christ! :)

Oh and I gave my first injection today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nothing went wrong. Congrats!

I had to give 2 injections simultaneously on the same patient. One was just a fineeee needle and the other was thicker. It was kinda hard poking through using the thick needle and 0.0 the injection site bled. Patient had "no feelings" though. So all well.




Will be performing for all 4 services this weekend too, which means travelling to and fro Jurong West and Expo. This is probably the craziest of weeks. And it's only Monday.........


Holiday plans look good though.
Work hard and play hardER! Heh heh.

Friday was probably the most dramatic day of my life.


It started off like any other day, woke up at 6:10am, excited to go to the hospital.

Never did I know that I would be the last person a patient would talk to. And her last words would be that she wanted to die to end her suffering.

A nurse saw her foaming in the mouth about 5 minutes after she told me that, and pressed for "Code Blue" when she couldn't feel her pulse. Many doctors and nurses rushed to her bed. It was a total chaos. A nurse was furiously pumping her chest.

I was traumatized.

Prior to that, I had been by her side, talking to her in my limited Hokkien as I saw that her breakfast was untouched. It was a monologue as she was grunting all along.

Finally, she complained of nausea and wanted me to bring her a bag. So I did, and highlighted to the staff nurse about it.

I continued staying by her side until I had to do something else. The next thing I knew, she passed on.


She gave up living. Just like that.

Could this happen if I had stayed longer with her?


I had assumed that those words about wanting to die was said out of frustration, as we often use the word "die" so casually. I didn't know that a person can die just by deciding he/she wants to. Is it all in the mind???

It intrigued me to think about the human willpower. How can one actually buy time when death is presented in front of one's face? Never underestimate the power of one thought.



~~~



After work, I went over to the School of Business for a 15-minute survey of which I earned $10 hehehe.

At the bus-stop on the way back, a stranger approached me for direction of which I wasn't of much help. But that led us to talk about us. :) She was from America and an ex-NUS student studying about Policy and is now working with MOH as a policy maker.

Then she asked about me, what am I doing blabla and was very surprised and elated that I'm taking Nursing in NUS. She went 0.0

After which I found that she was a nurse back in America and is currently taking her PhD in Nursing here. I went 0.0

She told me that in 1989, she had proposed to implement advanced study in Nursing in Singapore as she believed that Nursing is more than just technical work. However, back then, our government wasn't receptive to that yet.

So, it took them over a decade to actually realise or do something about it.

We have her to thank for sowing a little seed. :)


We could have blabber on further about nursing, about our plans, I mean what is the probability of the both of us meeting in NUS School of Business on a Friday afternoon during the holidays??? :)

But her bus came and we didn't have time to exchange numbers. She asked for my name again and said that she'll check up the directory. I don't know how she is going to do so, but I hope she does contact me somehow!



What a beautiful encounter! :)

Day off! :)

Last 2 days @ NUH were great. I was assigned to 2 itchy scratcy patients. One has chicken pox-like signs and another has body rash all over (probably due to lymphoma). We are now waiting for the results of diagnosis.

Of course I have my own concerns and apprehension since we wouldn't know as yet if the diseases are contagious. Whatever it is, I think to be professional means not letting those stand in our way to providing the best nursing care.




Anywayyy...




I watched "2012" last night @ Vivo hahaha. It's awesome!!! I love the dramatic effects. It's both thrilling and amusing. :) Oh and slightly touching.

Go watch it before it is no longer in the theatres! It requires cinematic effects for total enjoyment lol...



Ok till then!

End of my little pseudo holiday~


Friday - Stayed over at Jeff's :)
Saturday - Town with best friend! :)
Sunday - Concert with Sofi and Leon :)


Quite sociable, not bad lol...

Wish I could post the pics! But I have to go through my lappie which is currently in a comatose state.

~~~



Well, the 3 of us had a little discussion over dinner after the concert, regarding matters of the HEART. :)

Don't you think relationship issues are so complex? There are so much ambiguity, greyness and unspoken rules to abide to. It makes dumb even the most intelligent.

You know all those crap we question in our heads?

If he does this or say that, does that mean _____??? (Classic)
What if he doesn't like me?!
Dear God, if he's THE ONE then ____.



And you analyse and discuss with your girlfriends, guy friends and yourself. To stop those bothersome thoughts, you find ways and means to convince yourself that he doesn't like you because he doesn't do 1.____ 2._____ 3._____ .

And so you concluded that he doesn't like you. Good.

But that stubborn feeling still clings on to you like a sloth to a tree! Bad.

And you wish he could just tell you directly if 1. He likes you. or 2. He doesn't.

However, it means that prior to that, you have to CONFESS your feelings to him, which being an innately shy girl (like me), will never buckle up enough courage to do such a thing.

Hence, at the end of the day, when the sun sets and the cows go home, you are still left hanging.


~ The (not-so-happy) End ~




Due to my inexperience on this matter *ahem*, this is all I can say hahaha


~~~



Ok, ATTACHMENT TIME @ NUH in a few hours.

I can't predict what will happen in the ward. Never will.

But I am going to be the best nurse I know how... :)

@ Jeff's guest room


Here I am, awake at 4am while chilling to Alison Krauss, thinking about my plans for next week and basically just relishing in the luxury of wasting time.

My body clock has screwed up. Lol... This is what happens after exams and during holidays. Mornings are non-existent.

Well, I think this is good training to be a nurse - to mess up your body clock as much as possible hahaha.


Sometimes I wonder if I will be a good nurse in future. Having a degree doesn't mean much, it only allows a headstart. It puts you in a better position initially. What you do with what you have is what matters after.

My ultimate vision is to introduce music into local hospitals. I don't know how is that possible, but I'm gonna start it somehow...





Music is really powerful I think. It has the ability to change the entire atmosphere. Stale air suddenly has life and energy in it. So, hopefully my patients will somehow get better.

I looked at my patients and think it'd be so boring for them to lie on the bed all day, so it's good to have some entertainment too.

Musicians need to have a little more human touch as well. So it's a win-win situation.


Perfect.

We shall see what happens 5 years down the road.



~~~


Stuff like that often run through my mind.

Cos they are real nagging thoughts.

Like how I couldn't run away from thoughts calling me to be a nurse, though it's never my childhood dream. But until I address it, they will never cease haunting me.


Just like practising my instruments.

I am reminded of it day in and out.




And him...
Ok nvm...

And now exams are over.
Good for me, I hate exams.

Even more so when you hear teachers saying things like "We do not want to fail you cos we have to write a lot to justify why you should fail."

Seems like everyone just wanna get over and done with.


~~~

So, with my free time, my new hobbies include solving sudoku puzzles :) and reading.

Current book is "A Beautiful Mind" which talks about the life of John Nash, a superbly intelligent but socially awkward mathematician, who happpens to hate studying secondhand information.

So in a way I have a little of his trait, not bad hahaha.

I'm referring to Science especially.


Aren't they all merely hypothesis waiting to be proven wrong?

In fact, there is no such thing as a fact.

Think about it.


~~~


Anyway, enough of those...
I wanna talk about DISNEY!!!! :)




Recently, I came across a comment which disturbed me.

Someone said that "Disney is a lie."

In defend of my all-time favourite and the one who makes the world a lot happier - Mr Disney, I would like to refute that statement. :)


Firstly, if you don't already know, Disney is fictional. Cartoons? Fiction.

You don't actually see flying carpets and fairy godmother. The very thing people love Disney for - his unrestricted careless imagination and boundless creativity.

True, there is always a happy ending but isn't it the same for most movies? And isn't it how most people would like?





Disney depicts dreamy fairytale love stories which would probably cause delusion in some people. Then again, it is fictional..... And you notice how the stories always end just after a couple gets married? Lol.

In my opinion, to think that Disney is a lie, is to put oneself in the shoes of the characters and live in that make-believe world, only to realise it does not happen in reality.

And you get all upset, blaming Disney for LYING and deceiving generations of kids.


It is good to be remember that Disney is created for entertainment purposes. And just appreciate the colours, humour and fun!


I loveee Disney!!!! :)!

Pop in again! :)

I'm so excited about my last paper tomorrow. :) And looking forward to my 2-week attachment NEXT WEEK. :) I'm posted to NUH again... And Oncology ward AGAIN... :)

Not complaining cos I like Oncology. I don't know why the inclination towards it... I guess it is similar as to how I like the name "Charles". For no particular reason at all. :)

And hospitals are not all gloom and doom. In it, you find patients who are more alive, more optimistic and mentally stronger than some of the "normal" people you know.



You see the manifestation of love as spouses stay by the bedsides, day and night. Indeed holding on to the vow they made decades ago - To be faithful "In sickness and in health, till death do us part."

How heartwarming is that.

You see a son bringing in a foldable bed just so he could sleep beside his mum and be there with her through the night.

You talk to a homeless patient and his toothless grin is the most beautiful one you've seen.

You see the fighting spirit of patients as they silently endure their absurd treatments and share hopefully about their plans after discharge.



And you walk out of the hospital and see people who look like they would rather be dead. You read in papers of how people voluntarily end their lives over the littlest of things.

How bizarre.

Day was fine, took a 5-hour nap in the afternoon, practised my instruments and stuff...

Until when I finally put myself to study and needed the internet for some medical jargons... For eg: Alopecia. Which I found out, simply means HAIR LOSS.

Anyway, that's not the point. THE point is, when I used the family computer, I discovered that my account has been DELETED. It means that my collection of pictures (and whatever memories) from my JC days onwards are all GONE. Argh... The holiday trip with dad...

Why can't people just leave my stuff alone?!


And now I'm searching fantically for any remnants of pictures in this com. This could have been totally unnecessary.

Damn.

Announcement:

I will be away from the virtual world for a substantial amount of time from now.

 

 

Reason being, my lappie’s fan became malfunctioned out of the blue. Oh the random happenings of my life.

This causes my lappie to be real hot after about merely 5-10 minutes and thereafter it will just burn up and shut down by itself.

My oh my… What has the owner done that it should suffer this fate.

Haha.

Well, I guess it’s a blessing in disguise, my piano and cello are now rejoicing. If they have legs, they would be leaping hysterically.

They can have my undivided attention now as they will be my only entertainment at home.

 

Ok, my lappie is getting hotter now, I gotta go beofre it explodes or something. Hahahhaa…

I actually thought of putting it in my freezer and using it from there… Lol. Brilliant idea!

Will be procrastinating the repair, sooo… Till then. :)

A thought crossed my mind…

What if tomorrow never comes?

 

I’ll be darn depressed, even as I lie in my coffin, to know that I’ve spent the last day of my precious life studying about our immune system.

At least I’ve also spent my last day with my beloved piano playing my favourite songs…

I really hope there are many pianos in heaven. I don’t know what they’ll be made of though… Maybe gold? Are there elephants there too? Then maybe ivory…

I think I will make a will in future for my piano… (In case people burn it for me =X) I will probably donate it to a kid who wants to learn piano so much but could not afford to.

Or maybe to an orphanage where the piano could be a source of joy for them… Where happy songs can be emitted from it and bring smiles upon many faces. :)

Whatever it is, I will definitely not let it merely be a decorative object. What a wasted life~

If my piano has a mind of his own, I wonder what he will think of me? We’ve been together for the past 8-9 years already and have gone through my life’s most dramatic periods together.

He’s my first and only.

I remember my parents bringing me to this piano shop to shop for a piano (A bit duh…) And I remember going around tinkling with the keys on a few pianos.

When I reached THE ONE, I don’t know, but I started playing “Silent Night” on it. Of course with just one hand then. The shop keeper heard it and told my parents I played well.
(You have to say something like that to sell your pianos!!!)

And so it became MINE. :) Until now, I am still very much in love with my piano.

I hope to keep improving so that he can manifest his beauty even more heh heh. I believe he can do much more than this… :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life is becoming increasingly prosaic.

 

 

 

 

I need to watch some cartoons.

Alone @ Tiffy’s hostel

 

Life is totally mundane now…

That stuff like this pink rubber ball is able to stir up some curiosity and interest.

 

Anyway, I’m glad to break my record by swimming 26 laps yesterday. Haha… It’s this kinda cheap thrill that keeps us happily sane.

Dad picked me up from school and he told me about his experience giving a safety talk in front of 300 odd people.

He told me if you feel nervous at the 300 pairs of eyes staring at you, just look at 1 person and keep talking to him.

Lol…

He also translated for someone whose English was so broken, he didn’t even understand what he was talking about. And so he just added in his own points lol…

All good in the end. :)
So proud of him~

 

We just gotta learn how to act spontaneously in impromptu situations. It’s one of life’s survival skills. On the contrary, “acting blur” is also essential sometimes hahaha. But of cos it’s not something we should cultivate and depend upon lol…

 

 

My dad also said this, “When you are popular, there will be some people who don’t like you, but who cares?”

(It was a general statement, not referring to anyone in particular.)

I like the last part… WHO CARES!!!!!!

 

Coincidentally, when I reached home, someone came and talked to me on msn. I don’t know why but she started commenting on my looks, and had issues with my skin colour, hair and weight…

And even how often I change my msn picture… (Like once in a week or 2)

Saying “My picture is always the same, I don’t have to keep reminding people how hot I am.”

My hair stood up 90 degrees.

“Ha… Ok…”

 

0.0

Me being me, I didn’t even bother to retort, what’s the good in the end? It’s too trivial and doesn’t even matter at all.

Spent the entire day with my laptop, trying to study.

It was just not the best thing to do in one day.

On the bus ride back, I attempted to ‘artistically’ arranged some words out of randomness…

 

Somewhere in my memory
Lies a picture of you and me
A moment frozen in time
Captured with no place to run

 

And then my mind went blank. :)

Please help to continue if you want hahaha…

I had no one in mind when I wrote that, so it was just plain spontaneous.
In case you wonder…

 

 

The thought of having 2 more weeks of today is just… =/

Wind concert @ the Esplanade by “Westwind” featuring cartoon fantasies hehehehe.

I love cartoons!!! :)

I went mainly for “My Neighbour Totoro” and “Enchanted”, not a big fan of winds though. =P

It was my first time watching a concert being “engulfed” by crying babies, dancing tods and talking teenagers with no concert etiquettes at all.

It was a free concert so I guess there was no age limit? And people were probably less appreciative and attentive.

The entire experience was kinda distressing due to the cacophony of sounds/noises. Influx of soundwaves collided unfashionably in the air and we became its unfortunate victims.

The tods were so cute though, they were dancing to “Doraemon”!!! Lol. What child-like innocence, oblivious to the surrounding happenings.

I like! :)

 

 

 

 

And it’s the exam break next week. I’ll probably still be going back to school because it is almost impossible to study at home or in my room.

Heh heh…

Over dinner tonight, it was brought to my remembrance that I actually had an elder brother.

For some reason, we have never crossed path and little was mentioned about him.

Somehow tonight, for the first time in my life, I felt a sense of closeness to him. I don’t even know how to explain that. I have never felt that way and I know it is not my imagination. How can I imagine up being close to someone I have never met?

 

He could have been 23 this year, probably pursuing his dreams… And greatly admired by his little sis.

He could have fended for me when I fought with the Malay kids at the playground.

He could have warned me of the funny tricks of guys. He probably could have used some of them himself.

He could have been good-looking with a lovely character, the guy of every girl’s dream. Girls would probably want to befriend me just to know him.

He could have had faith in everything I do… No matter how many times I have failed and fallen.

 

And now as tears stream down my face, I know he is above watching over me as always. Probably smiling and thinking what a silly sister he has.

 

Whatever it is, this special moment tonight is still incomprehensible and is certainly beyond logic in the natural realm.

 

 

 

 

Oh yipee~ Rejoiceeeeeee~

Passed my IV priming reassessment this morning. I’m posted to NUH yet again for my 2-week attachment in December. Looking forward to that heh heh. I love nursing.

I’m officially done with Bahasa Indonesia module too! Oral was fine I suppose! :) Had some hilarious moments with Emma again during oral lol…

The “Preparation Room” where Emma and I was given a scenario and were supposed to prepare a dialogue haha.

 

It’s been quite a productive 3-month journey with our fellow classmates. We grew from being unable to construct any sentences to writing a 120-word essay in exam.

Not bad!

And from never ever touching an Angklung to performing on our project day. I had my first brush with conducting too!

 

As we depart, each to our own way, we know that we once intersected and shared this enriching learning experience together. 

Learning should be this fun.

 

 

STEAMBOAT as usual for Tiffy after our swim. Look, the fire was unnecessarily ferocious. It burnt Olive’s hand!

I broke my record again. 24 laps! (^;^)v

Wanna try 26 laps the next time heh heh. Until I hit 30! :)

 

Had to rush down over for cg meeting! It was awesome, an atmosphere of joy! :) In the presence of God, there is fullness of joy!!! :)

An Indonesian bought their traditional food “Gado-gado” over and it was my first time eating that after reading about it so much in our textbook hahaha. So timely! :)

Dad went to Malaysia today out of randomness… And bought me 6 donuts out of randomness too.

0.0

So sweet~ :)

Though it’s not helping me.

I don’t eat donuts actually, but took a bite “out of curiosity” on the chocolate one, as you can see lol…

And “discovered” it was really nice heh heh, and I went on eating 3/4 of it, leaving 1/4 for dad. :)

 

What a foodful day! :)

Done with Bahasa Indonesia test! :)

Oral tomorrow :) then I’m done with this module. :) It’s been the best one thus far. :)

Will be flying over to Indonesia in December and so hopefully I will be able to make sense to them by then haha.

~~~

 

There are some thoughts I shouldn’t be thinking.

They are probably unrealistic, a mirage.

They say fairytales don’t exist. I don’t know…

Even so, nothing’s gonna change. :)

Photos update!

 

Prata breakfast @ Frontier Library on a Sunday morning, accompanied by my faithful notes.

Went to school after service to study for Monday’s Pharmaco test with Tiffy! :)

Went swimming before even studying for an hour. And I broke my record! 18 laps. :)

I discovered more about myself too. For every 1 hour of study, I must rest for 2 hours. Hehehehehe.

Quality over quantity! Lol… Right…

Haha, I wish we had the luxury of time.

Steamboat after swimming!

The plate was HUGE… Both of us had to share one.

She loves eating from POTS… Waha… Looking very hungry here. Lol~

We ate at this place called “GREAT WALL Restaurant” just next to the pool. It’s far from being a ‘restaurant’ though haha.

I think we were the only Singaporeans there. It’s easy to know why.

Olive joined us to study @ the student lounge.

Here Tiffy was trying to put a earstud into Olive’s new tragus piercing. Ouchhh…

As you can see, there wasn’t much studying done actually.

But the thought was there lol…

Went back to Tiffy’s hostel to study.

You can see her starting to manifest some adverse effects of studying.

 

Happily studying! Haha……

Too bad she couldn’t stay overnight with us!

Tiffy and I proceeded to the “Study Room” after sending her off. It’s the best place to study!

Extremely quiet… Cold… Opens 24 hours and with NO internet access.

This was taken at about midnight, playing with my webcam for some self-entertainment lol… Tiffy couldn’t be bothered with me.

And she was like “What the…” Lol…

Pictures are real deceiving… We DID study actually hahaha.

 

The next day…

After THE test… And during lecture.

Cranky and all. Effects of lack of sleep and a fried brain.

Wakeyyy the SUN is up smiling at you!!!

Heh heh. Nice frame :)

And Emma’s always ready to pose lol…

Went down to Marina Square for lunch to celebrate Olive’s belated birthday!

I love staying in a car when it’s pouring outside :)

Another round of STEAMBOAT… @ Hotpot Culture hahaha.

Tiffy loves steamboats! :)

And this is the cutest thing ever seen in an arcade.

Baby Ben N Jerry’s tubs!!! Waiting to be scooped up!!!

 

I can’t resist cute stuff lol… Especially STATIONARIES!!!!!!!!! I promise to study harder if someone buy those for me heh heh heh.

Like cute pens pencils notebooks files etc… Aww… Hahaha.

 

 

Oh and when I finally went home, I discovered that dad had cleaned up my room for me. :) So sweet.

But I also saw that he read a card which I wrote for someone cos it was right in the middle of my table. I put it at the side before I left.

Argh… It was real embarrassing. And the last person I want to read that is my dad. Cos in it had some of my heartfelt thoughts.

Haha nvm… At least there’s nothing mushy in it lol…

 

Till then…

Someone just called me and mentioned about how a doctor carelessly prescribed sleeping pills without even having sufficient details from the patient (who happens to be my friend too).

She had fever and flu.

The doc didn’t even take her body temperature.

 

If that’s the case, they can jolly sell sleeping pills or whatever medicines off the counter. What’s the use of seeing a doctor?

I can simply google/wiki my own signs and symptoms, analyse the drugs available, look at their adverse effects and decide for myself which is the best for me.

There is even more (accurate) information online, provided you read it off reliable sources.

 

 

Why would anyone need a doctor to tell them they are having fever or flu when it is obvious? 

And of course we are smart enough to know that we have to REST and DRINK MORE WATER when we are down.

(Ok very biased and narrow opinion here.)

Consult a SPECIALIST if something troubles you greatly. At least they will look into it with more seriousness.

(Because you have to pay more?)

 

I remember once I went up to my foreign Immunology lecturer after lecture and asked about my permanently blocked nasal canal. I told him how a doctor gave me a “nasal spray” (asthma inhaler look-alike) to decongest it. But it still did not work.

Upon hearing that, he raised his eyebrows and was quite taken aback. I in turn was taken aback by that.

He went on to say “A doctor should not prescribe anything before having any diagnosis.”

Meaning, there should be evidences to prove that you have a particular disease prior to prescribing any drugs to counter that.

I was more taken aback after that. WHAT?!
So what have the local doctors been doing all these while?!…

He advised me to see a Ear-nose-throat specialist @ NUH if I want to.

 

 

This is disturbing.

I can’t stress enough of this… Challenge your healthcare professionals. Doctors, nurses… Whoever. You need to know the rationale behind their every action.

Don’t assume they even know what they are doing. :)

When patients become more educated, the healthcare professionals will be ‘forced’ to improve themselves too. Otherwise, it’s real embarrassing if a patient knows more than you right.

Haha……………

It’s a win-win situation for all.

Long way to go Sg~~~

Broke my record!

I swam 17 laps in my school’s pool alone.

And it was my first time swimming in the middle of a deep pool! So braveeee! :)

Heh heh.

Therapeutic.

80% of the people there were the PRCs.

Cheers.

And they are everywhere at night.

 

Went for dinner after that, and was again surrounded by them. Even the store I ate from were owned by PRCs.

Went to a study area to study for my upcoming testsss… In it you can find many of them mugging hard.

Every little sound you make is amplified. 

 

Things you do when you get bored studying. Haha~

 

I think it’s time to cut my hair…

My dad had just bought me a “hair fall control” shampoo cos I’ve been complaining to him about me dropping lots of hair hahaha~

He opened my door and showed me Lol…

So sweet~ :)

And cute. Lol…

We are so close, yet so far.

Both a little scared.

Neither one prepared.

 

People come in and out of my life all the time, as and when they like.

Somehow, you remained silently in me, with me. 

I’m touched by your subtle acts.

There’s little need for words.

 

Shows belong on stage.

Where everything’s exaggerated, glamourous.

And only for a while.

There’s no need to put up one.

I think I’ve seen enough.

 

 

 

 

This semester has been such a drag.

Schooling stifles my life.

It’s not even challenging.
I believe anyone can memorize if they want to.

Maybe it’s just my real bad attitude towards doing mindless stuff.

 

 

Watched "This Is It" alone last night. It was mind-blowing.
Loved the creativity manifested in the rehearsals.
Loved the dancers, their passion was incredible.


Too bad he didn’t live long enough to realise that concert, otherwise he would have blown everyone away.

From the rehearsals, I saw that he was a meticulous person who knew exactly what was going on at any moment of the performance. Kind words never left him even under pressure or when things didn’t go his way.

He had a huge capacity.

I like it that everyone involved knew clearly their role and performed it with such enthusiasm.

This should be it.

 

 

Whereas in here, I would say a large majority of people are merely doing things out of fear.

Fear of
parents.
failure.
being ostracized.
losing ‘face’.
losing out.

Motivated by fear huh.

Who actually dare to live their dream?

Or rather the not so “mainstream” dreams.

 

That’s why I greatly admire people who fight for their dreams, against all odds, people and circumstances.

They are the courageous ones, the history makers.

What’s the good in being like everyone else? It’s too comfortable, too boring.

Blending in excessively makes one invisible.

Nice Sunday!

Had service as usual, followed by prayer meeting! Felt really happy after that hahaha. For no reason! Guess it’s the joy of the Lord hehehe.

And Sofi gave me a shirt from HongKong! :) So touched~

 

Went SWIMMING again, 16 laps. :)

Many many kids today.

One thing about me, the more I exercise, the more I EAT… So what’s the point?! Lol…

Sigh seriously…

 

Dinner @ Soup Restaurant with Dad

Their signature dish.

And I overate again. :(

 

After that… To make matter worse, we went shopping for food to stock up…

Bought a tub of Haagen Dazs.
There was a promotion…
And we got a little tub free.

This is certainly not helping at all…

 

~~~

 

Anyway, a while ago, I had a little chat with my schoolmates about our FUTURE.

What would we do after graduation???

Being a nursing student doesn’t necessary mean that we WILL become a nurse eventually. Unless we are bonded, we still have freedom of choice to do whatever we want.

However, most of us would agree that it is ‘safer’ to gain a few years of experience in local hospitals before deciding where to venture on next.

I’m rather open to the thought of migrating actually, since a nursing degree can be liken to a visa to many countries. It’d be so much easier to be a PR.

The UK and Australia are good choices for nursing. Their healthcare systems are much more established and nurses are more respected. They are seen more or less on equal par with doctors.

The USA is not bad either.

 

One thing I hate most about local practices is that local doctors seem obligated to prescribe drugs to whoever consult them and for every minor symptoms.

For example,

I once consulted a doctor regarding dizzy spells and gastric refluxes. He told me to rest more as I was under stress.

I was happy that nothing serious was actually happening, but felt cheated for the superficial reasoning.

That was fine… At least I was assured.

However, as I was about to pay for my consultation ($30 for those same sentences my mum would tell me), I was handed some medications.

I inquired about those as I felt there was no need to take any at all, since the doctor merely told me to REST right.

The lady at the counter, took a second look at the very drugs she had just given me, paused to think for a while.

And said, “Just take lah, it’s something to do with the brain.”

(I think her brain needed it more.)

It was downright unprofessional.

Had she said “I have to check with the doctor, can I get back to you soon?”, I’d have forgotten this issue.

Anyway, I replied “I don’t see a need to take it, can I not have it?”

(I might have been labeled as being “non-compliant” immediately. Healthcare professionals hate to deal with non-compliant patients as it spells more trouble.)

“Then what’s the point of you seeing the doctor?”

1) To get my MC.
2) To get assurance.

Well, to avoid wasting time arguing over nothingness, I took them and left.

Abandoned them on my table (not sure if I googled them), and got well after some REST…

Had I taken those, I might intoxicate my liver and experience unnecessary adverse effects of the drugs.

 

I believe these situations are rampant all over the island. It is not uncommon to see army guys having an MC for any little pain here and there, little cough, flu and headache. Are they being encouraged to become whiners and softies?

Are the men so fearful of DYING over these minor symptoms? Or that all the doctors want is just the money?

The fundamental role of a doctor is to cure. But it’s good to THINK afresh at every case.

And maybe they should start prescribing drugs for laziness.

 

Most of the time, your body is stronger and smarter than you think. Relax, stay calm, and let your body defend for you.

Our immune systems have superpower haha.

 

 

That aside, of course I have other tempting reasons to migrate hahaha.

If I ever get married, I’m uncertain if I’d want my children to go through the education system here which kills creativity and curiosity.

That’d be many yearsss from now, but I’m keeping this option open.

Happy Halloween!

There seemed to be an increased hype about it this year?

However, scary stuff are really not my thing. I KNOW they are plastic fake but I will actually avoid going near or even looking at those people with horrific-looking masks or dressing.

They give me the creeps.

This is strange, as I’m perfectly fine dealing with dead bodies, blood and everything inside out.

 

Eww… Bestie wanted to go in, so I had to actually walk past that creature. It was kinda stupid but I walked in as quickly and as far from IT as possible.

Halloween balloons are so much friendlier and harmless. =P And such a delight to just stare at them. :)

 

Pardon me for my highly gu niang entry. Lol…

~~~

Here’s one Halloween joke on Facebook

Status: XXX In search of Halloween stuffs! WHEEEE!!!

Reply: Makeup remover.

LOL… I like plain humour.

~~~

 

 

 

 

Realised I brought a lot of food to school on Friday. Haha.

Had no time for breakfast (soya milk + oily glutinous rice argh.) which dad brought so I had to chuck them in my bag… Later, I discovered I was the FIRST to reach for tutorial. Never happened ever before. :)

Snickers bar was from cg meeting the previous night, which became my highly sinful lunch (which I ate in the library). Of which motivated me to swim 16 laps in the evening.

Emma gave me the "Honeystars” from our exam pack of which I gave it to a friend I bumped into due to the guilt of that Snickers.

 

And today, I chanced upon an article about “junk food”. It has a picture of many chocolate bars sitting neatly in a vending machine. My Snickers was one of them.

The article says “For a 7 year-old, it takes 88 minutes of swim to burn off 203 calories (which is approximately 1 bar).”

It’s about 1.5 hours of swim.

I am not sure if it requires a longer period for a 22 year old though… :(

Maybe shorter.

Lol…

 

Oh, another thing which can creep me out is SKINNINESS.

It makes me cringe to see skinny people dancing, playing sports, or just bending their elbows.

I’m highly sensitive to anything associated with the sight of BONES…

Don’t ask me why. Lol…

Free day today muahaha.

Sometimes it doesn’t feel like I’m schooling. =P This is quite bad.

Out of the randomness, an orchestra friend asked me out for a swim lol…

It was such cheap thrill!!!

We met up at 8.40pm and went Jurong Safra, swam for half an hour and it closed! Lol…

Thereafter we hopped over to “The Centris” – the condo above Jurong Point, and had such self-entertaining fun. Lol…

The pool is hugeee.. :)

I can now swim from one end to the other without stopping! :) My bestie would be so happy to hear that haha.

 

Did a split!!! HAHAHAHA… Almost.

 

I love swimming at night, it’s so therapeutic~ :)

A great Monday after 2 nights of mysterious insomnia! I think my mind was over-stimulated to even sleep.

Haha.

Met up MengChing for lunch today, it’s always good to have a friend to talk to about anything – school, church, God, family, boys, nonsense. Sad that this will be her last semester in school but happy for her that she can finally start a new phase of life.

WORKING ADULT LIFE.

In fact, many of my friends are actually working now. Heh.

 

Went down over for cello lesson after that. My teacher commented that I’ve improved. And that totally made my day!!!

I was really happy inside hahaha. At least 1 week of practice paid off. Otherwise, kill me.

I don’t know what else can I do anymore.

Indeed, music is discipline.

I was secretly telling myself that if I still couldn’t improve, I might consider giving up.

Yaya like what I always say.

-_-

But I never once bear to do so. Hehe.

 

So whenever I feel like giving up, I will think of my teacher, the hours he spent on me and his patience and encouragement. That no matter what, he’s ever so willing to teach me whenever I ask.

I’d think of God and the vision I had of me playing the cello in an orchestra even before I knew how to play.

Never did I know, many years later, God would made that far-fetched dream come to past.

Indeed, if you can see it, you can have it.

 

Now that I’ve got what I wanted…

How can I give up so easily???

It’s too selfish to do so.
Too weak.
Too foolish.
Too cowardly.
Too irresponsible.

It’s an uphill climb. Always have been.

 

Lol…

What an awesome day!!! :)

 

I actually swam ALONE for the first time in my life!!! Bestie is overseas now so I have to be more independent hahaha. Happy that my swimming has improved slightly and that I didn’t drown! :)

 

I think I should be able to pass my assessment test since my assessor didn’t comment much. Was tested on how to give an insulin jab to diabetic patients.

I would think it’s rather painless since the needle is so micro! But I wouldn’t know.

 

Angklung performance went well too I guess! At least there wasn’t any awkward pauses in between. Mistakes were otherwise too insignificant to be noticed. :)

Phew. Happy it’s over!!!!!! :) My first conducting experience! Lol~

Thank God for boldness and strength for the past 3 weeks. In times when I did not know how to go about leading the group, He showed me a way. And when I did not know what to say, He put words into my mouth.

I just knew it wasn’t by my own ability… Cos if it was, I’d have been afraid and doubtful of myself. But I know God was/is with me and nothing is too hard for Him. :’)

 

Here are some picturesss of our project presentation day!

The angklung guys with traditional  Batik attire 

Emma and I after performance!

Happy that we won’t have to get lost in Arts anymore for Angklung practices… *Shrug* Had a very bad experience today.

Outside lecture theatre before our project presentation :)

“Indonesia Indah” = “Beautiful Indonesia” :)

LT 8 :)

The “Saman Dance” where they use mainly hand movements. Usually an opening dance for events. :)

Costumes display! Different regions in Indonesia have different kinda costumes.

The “Kulintang”, something quite similar to the xylophone.

 

Singing + a little dance and drama item. :)

What a fun module with such entertaining projects! :)

I had to rush off before it ended so I didn’t get to try Indon food cooked by one project group boohoo. 

 

Went down over to the Esplanade for a SSO concert. We had complimentary tickets since my conductor is a cellist there.

Saw this on the way.
It was what my cello teacher had just told me.

Him: You have to practise every day.
Me: Every day…??? 0.0
Him: Yes. Every day.

I can’t escape!!! It’s haunting me everywhere I go. Lol~

Missed the first half of it which was a violin concerto, but it was still worth the trip down.

 

After the concert, we went down over to Janelle’s shop again together with our conductor (who just went there ytd)!!!

Everybody loves the deserts there! :)

My dinner! Lemon tart with self-made vanilla ice-cream! Not on the menu yet though~

The flavours are so authentic, it has a rich lemon taste!

GONE.

Like what my conductor said “It’s sinful… To leave anything on the plate.” Because it’s soooo nice! =P

 

Savouring their “7th Heaven” which is creme brulee with a thin coat of melted –> hardened sugar!

It tastes heavenly! I’m not usually a ‘cream’ person, but I love it!

This is named “Dark and Sexy”.

It looks rather “conserved” on the outside…

But when you slice it open slightly…

Its inner beauty oozes out!!!

I guess that’s why it’s described as “sexy” :)

See, even the owner likes it!!! :)

We had a great time together and left at about midnight! Sigh, so I can’t practise my cello AGAIN tonight… This is really bad. Will make it up tmr since I have the day free…

Anyway, the shop will be featured in the papers on Sunday! So watch out for it! :) (It has been attracting a lot of diabetic people too… As a future nurse, I will close one eye. I don’t blame them because it’s simply irresistible LOL… =X)

My favourite “Black Cow” was sold out today! Must try that if you are going!

Address can be found in my previous entry. :)

 

Tonight’s indeed a good celebration to end off the week! :)